JEHOSHAPHAT MAKES AFFINITY WITH AHAB, AND TAKES PART IN THE SYRIAN WAR AT RAMOTH-GLLEAD.

Comp. 1Kings 22:2-35. Only the introduction of the narrative (2Chronicles 18:1-2) differs from that of Kings—a change necessitated by the fact that the chronicler is writing the history, not of Ahab, but of Jehoshaphat.

Riches and honour in abundance.—Repeated from 2Chronicles 17:5.

And joined affinity with Ahab.—He married his son Jehoram to Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel (2Chronicles 21:6; 1Kings 18:8). The high degree of prosperity to which the king of Judah had attained is indicated by the fact that so powerful a monarch as Ahab entered into such an intimate connection with him. (The vav of the second clause is not adversative, as Zöckler asserts, but rather consecutive.)

And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance.—This royal hospitality is here represented as part of a deliberate plan for obtaining the co-operation of Jehoshaphat in the projected campaign.

Persuaded him.—Incited, pricked him on (Judges 1:12); especially to evil; 1Chronicles 21:1, Deuteronomy 13:7. In 1Kings 22:3, Ahab broaches the subject of the expedition to his court.

To go up . . . to.—To make an expedition against a town or country (Isaiah 7:1; Isaiah 7:6; 1Kings 15:17). Comp. Isaiah 8:7-8.

To Ramoth-gilead—i.e., Ramoth of, or in, Gilead. Ramoth (“heights”), or Ramath or Ramah (“height”), was a common name in such a hilly country as Palestine. Kings adds, to the war.

And my people . . . in the war—The symmetry of this part of the verse has been disregarded by the chronicler, in order to make Jehoshaphat express an apparently more definite assent to Ahab’s request. (Comp. Kings: “My people as thy people, my horses as thy horses” (kamônî kamôka, kĕ‘ammî kĕ‘ammbka, kĕsûsai kĕsûseika). The Syriac reads: “And my horses as thy horses; and I will go with thee to the war.” Similarly the Arabic: “My horsemen as thy horsemen.”

Enquire . . . at the word.—Seek the word.

Of prophets.—Rather, the prophets.

Four hundred.—Kings, “About four hundred.” Also’ Adonai (“the Lord”), instead of ha’elôhîm (“the [true] God”); and “I go against” for “we go to,” where the former is obviously more appropriate.

Micaiah.—Heb., Mîkâyĕhû, which presupposes an older Mîkăyăhû (“Who like Iahu?”). Iahu is in all probability the oldest form of the Divine Name, Iah being an abridgment of it. Syriac and Arabic, “Micah”—the form in 2Chronicles 18:14 (Heb.).

Imla.—He is full, or, he filleth; etymologically right.

Let not the king say so.—Jehoshaphat hears in the words a presentiment of evil, and deprecates the omen.

Micaiah—Hebrew text, Mîkāhû, a contracted form. The Hebrew margin substitutes the usual spelling.

Clothed in their robes.—The pronoun, which is indispensable if this be the meaning, is wanting in the Hebrew. The Syriac has probably preserved the original reading: “Clothed in raiment spotted white and black.” (Vid. infr.)

And they sat.—Were sitting. Explanatory addition by chronicler.

A void place.—A threshingfloor. LXX., ἐν τῷ εὐρυχώρῳ, “in the open ground;” Vulg., “in a threshing. floor.” The word is probably corrupt, and may have originated out of bĕruddîm, “spotted,” i.e., perhaps embroidered; an epithet of robes.

Prophesied.—Were prophesying. “Vaticina-bantur,” Vulg.

Until they be consumed.—Unto destroying them.

And prosper—i.e., and thou shalt prosper. So LXX., καὶ εὐοδωθήσῃ. Vuig., “prosperaberis.” (Comp. “This do, and live;” and Genesis 20:7, “he shall pray for thee, and live thou!”)

For.—And.

Probably instead of dibhrê, “words,” we should read dibbĕrû, “they said,” a far slighter change in Hebrew writing than in English: “Behold the prophets have with one mouth spoken good unto (or, of) the king.” So LXX.

Like one of their’s.—Literally, like one of them. Kings, like the word of one of them.

My God.—Kings, Jehovah.

And he said, Go ye up . . . and they shall be delivered.—Kings repeats the words of 2Chronicles 18:11, “Go thou up, and prosper thou, and the Lord,” &c. The chronicler has substituted a reply, which states quite definitely that they (i.e., the Syrians) shall be delivered into the hands of the allied sovereigns. In 2Chronicles 18:11 the object of the verb “deliver” was not expressed. This rather reminds us of the Delphic oracle: “If Crœsus pass the Halys, a mighty empire will be overthrown,” though the words of Zedekiah in the preceding verse are plain enough.

I adjure thee.—Compare the words of the high priest to Christ (Matthew 26:63).

As sheep.—Like the flock, both of sheep and goats.

Therefore.—LXX., not so, as if the Hebrew were lō’kēn instead of laken. Vulg. excellently, “at ille: idcirco ait audite verbum domini.”

Hear ye.—Kings, hear thou.

Standing on his right hand.—Literally, were standing. Kings, And all the host of heaven was standing by him, on his right hand and on his left. The chronicler has abridged.

After this manner.—Kāhhāh. Kings, bĕkhōh. Kings has, and this one said in this wise, and that one was saying in that wise.

A lying spirit.—A spirit of falsehood. (Comp. Isaiah 11:2; Isaiah 19:14; Ezekiel 14:9 : “And the prophet, if he be deceived, and speak a word, it is I, Jehovah, who have deceived that prophet.” The verb “deceive” is that which is rendered “entice” here and in 2Chronicles 18:19, pittah. LXX., Ἀπατήσεις (See also 2Thessalonians 2:11.)

Of these.—Kings, of all these. So some Hebrew MSS., Vulg., Syriac, Arabic, and one MS. of LXX.

And smote.—Way-yak, a correction of way-yakkèh (Kings), such as the chronicler often makes.

which way.—Literally, where is the way the spirit of Jehovah passed. Kings, where passed the spirit, &c.

Unto thee.—With thee.

Governor.—Sar, “prefect.” LXX., ἄρχοντα. Syriact shallit.

Carry back—i.e., convey back. Literally, make him return.

Until I return.—A correction of until I come (Kings).

If thou certainly return.—“If thou dost return.”

And he said—i.e., Micaiah said, turning to the crowd of bystanders, and making them witnesses to his prediction.

Hearken, all ye people.—Rather, Hearken ye, O peoples all! Literally, all of them. The book of the prophet Micah opens with these very words (Micah 1:2). Hitzig thinks they were taken from that passage, and Nöldeke, that they “must be and denote an abbreviation of the entire book.” (!) Thenius, on the other hand, justly argues that the whole section before us bears indubitable marks of historical truth, and is probably an extract from the history of Jehoshaphat written by Jehu the son of Hanani (2Chronicles 20:34).

They went.—Kings, he (Ahab) went into the battle. So some Hebrew MSS., LXX., Syriac, Vulg., Arabic, and Targum.

With small or great.—So Kings. Our text is literally, with the small or the great.

They compassed about him.—Or, came round against him. Kings, wrongly, “turned aside against him.” In Hebrew the difference turns on half a letter.

But Jehoshaphat cried out.—Probably to bring his followers to the rescue. (1Kings 22:32 ends with these words.)

And the Lord helped him; and God moved (literally, incited, “persuaded,” 2Chronicles 18:1) them . . . from him.—Drove them away from him. This addition is evidently from the pen of the chronicler himself. It appears that he understood the verb “cried out” in the sense of a cry to God for help, a sense which it often bears, e.g., Psalm 22:6.

How God “drove them off” is explained in the next verse. The captains discovered their mistake and retired.

This perfectly natural event is regarded by the chronicler as providential, and rightly so. Hebrew faith “knows nothing of an order of the world which can be separated even in thought from the constant personal activity of Jehovah.”

At a venture.—See margin, and comp. 2Samuel 15:11, where a similar phrase occurs, which Gesenius interprets “without thought of evil design.” The LXX. εὐστόχως, “with good aim,” is a bad guess. Syriac, “innocently straight before him.” But the explanation of Rashi seems best: “without knowing why he chose that particular man to shoot at.”

And smote.—See on 2Chronicles 18:23.

Between the joints of the harness.—Or, breastplate. So Syriac, “between the division of his mail”; the LXX. has “in the midst of the lungs and breast:; Vulgate, “between the neck and shoulders”; both mere guesses.

That thou mayst carry (literally, bring) me out.—Kings, and bring me out.

Howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot.—Literally, and the king of Israel was (or, continued) holding himself up in the chariot, facing Aram, until the evening. 1Kings 22:35 reads: was held up in the chariot, &c, and he died in the evening. The reading of Chronicles is preferable, the sense being that Ahab bravely bore up against the pain of his wound, in order not to discourage his own side by retiring from the field. The rest of the narrative which tells of the return of the army and the washing of Ahab’s chariot at the pool of Samaria (1Kings 22:36-38) is omitted here, because Jehoshaphat was not concerned in it, and perhaps because the chronicler had a true perception of the real climax of this vivid story of the olden time.